Dear Friends,
We're quickly approaching March 20th, which is the first committee deadline. Bills have until that date to be acted upon favorably if they are to move through the normal legislative process. Several of my bills have cleared their first committee, and met the first deadline.
Today one of my bills to reform the Met Council was heard in the subcommittee on Metropolitan Council Accountability and Transparency. The bill would create a nominating committee for the Met Council, made up of local elected officials and other representatives from the communities within the Met Council's area. Three of the committee members would be local elected officials chosen by the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, one would be a county commissioner, and three others would be appointed by the Governor.
Cities routinely talk about their desire to have a greater say in choosing their Met Council representatives, and making those representatives more accountable to their communities. This bill is one of several ways we accomplish that, and establish more local control of this enormous entity.
I will keep you updated on Met Council bills as they continue this session.
Survey
If you haven't yet, please take a few moments to fill out my 2015 survey. I enjoy reading and reviewing your thoughts and feedback on issues in Saint Paul, and it helps me get a better idea of what's on the minds of residents in Champlin and Coon Rapids. You can find the survey link by clicking here, or by following the link on my House website. Please share it with your friends and neighbors from our area so I can hear from them as well.
Have a great weekend,
Mark